


Laser Tag

by samisnotonline



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Arcades, Coffee Shops, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, First Dates, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Lack of Communication, Laser Tag, M/M, Rival Relationship, Rivalry, Texting, live streams, vlogging - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28291290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samisnotonline/pseuds/samisnotonline
Summary: Clay has gained a reputation of sorts online. He's a hacker. Not a bad one, he simply uses his abilities to bother and mess with more popular streamers and influencers. He weaves his way into people's servers and challenges them to battles and usually ends up winning. His main rival, George, has now lost to him 6 times in a row. But just because Dream good at Minecraft PvP doesn't mean he's good at fighting in real life. So George does what any person would do in that situation and challenges him to a game of laser tag, not realizing that Clay literally lives across the ocean.But Clay is impulsive and never backs down from a challenge. He agrees, and before he knows it he's booked a flight to London.All for a game of laser tag.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Darryl Noveschosch, Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 17
Kudos: 274
Collections: Cute works





	Laser Tag

**Author's Note:**

> Note: please for the love of god DON’T ship real people unless they’re explicitly stated that they’re okay with it. Don’t make your favorite content creators uncomfortable simply for your entertainment, be a decent human being.

Over the past couple of months, Clay had gained… a reputation amongst the Minecraft community.

No, he wasn’t a popular streamer or content creator like most other well known Minecraft players. He barely used social media, he had no name to identify him with other than his username, Dream.

Dream was known as a menace to the Minecraft community and its servers. He would join private servers (nobody knew how, the guy was insanely good at hacking), and start randomly attacking people mid-stream. And he was good, so good that people insisted that he must have been hacking the PvP system as well. Some people even began referring to him as “the new Herobrine”, appearing out of nowhere to attack unsuspecting players. 

But he wasn’t. Hacking, he meant. As for the Herobrine comments, he found them entertaining, to say the least. But Clay had been playing Minecraft for almost a decade, he didn’t need cheats or hacks to win an easy fight. While many of the streamers and YouTubers were good, only a few stood a decent chance against him.

His main rival was a YouTuber and streamer who went by the name GeorgeNotFound. He lived on the other side of the globe, though that didn’t bother Clay as he was practically nocturnal, meaning that their schedules aligned almost perfectly.

He wasn’t even all that good at the game, Clay was currently on a 6 kill streak with him. But George was persistent and refused to let him win without an attempt at fighting back. And while he lost, for the most part, there were those rare victories where George caught him off-guard, allowing him to deal the killing blow. George celebrated those victories with enthusiasm, and Clay really couldn’t blame him. He was rarely defeated by anyone, especially not someone as inexperienced as George.

And Clay enjoyed what he did. He enjoyed reading the angry comments from fans after he killed their favorite content creator live on stream. He liked the shocked reactions he received whenever he hacked into someone’s server when they were in the middle of recording a video, but most of all he loved the frustrated shouts people let in when they were inevitably defeated by him.

However, everything changed when he received a Twitter notification one day, more specifically a DM from none other than GeorgeNotFound himself.

georgenotfound

I’d like to challenge you

dream

is that so?

georgenotfound

Yes, but not the way I normally do.

dream

elaborate?

georgenotfound

I was thinking. You’re good at Minecraft, there’s no doubt about that

But you wouldn’t last a second in a real fight.

dream

yeah lmao probably not?

why are you mentioning this what’s your point?

georgenotfound

Okay I know this might sound crazy but

What if we met up and challenged each other to a game of laser tag?

It’s the closest thing I can think of to some sort of PvP

Okay. That was something.

George wanted to meet up in real life? To play fucking laser tag? He’d have to buy a ticket to fly all the way across the Atlantic ocean. Was it really worth it?

_ Maybe, _ thought Clay.  _ I’ve always thought about visiting London. This could potentially be a good excuse to take a week off work and visit. _

And Clay? Well, he was a bit impulsive. And maybe a tad bit over-competitive. So really, how could he possibly turn down a challenge like this?

dream

bet. when would you wanna meet up?

georgenotfound

Shit, wait really? I didn’t expect you to agree

dream

yeah i mean i don’t have much going on in my life. it sounds fun.

georgenotfound

Okay. How about next month on the third? I’ve got a bunch of streams and stuff already planned out, I don’t wanna cancel those.

The third. That was in three weeks. A bit soon to buy a plane ticket, though he was sure he could work something out.

dream

works for me. are you gonna livestream it like you normally do when we fight lmfao

georgenotfound

If you’re alright with it, I can stream from my phone. I know you’re super private about your personal life, not sharing your name or face

dream

eh, i’ll be wearing my mask back from quarantine plus a hoodie and i doubt i’ll be recognized just by my voice. i’ll be completely anonymous.

georgenotfound

Okay. So I’ll see you in three weeks? We can pick the location once it gets closer to the actual date.

dream

alright. do you wanna make it a surprise for your followers or are you gonna tell them?

georgenotfound

It’s up to you :]

dream

keep it a surprise. i think their reactions will be funny.

georgenotfound

You’re a strange person, Dream.

Well.  _ Time to purchase a plane ticket to London _ , he figured.

-

His flight was scheduled for the first of December, and his flight would be taking off at the most wonderful time of all, that being a bit past two in the fucking morning.

He was most definitely going to regret this. He’d have to spend the first day settling into a hotel, meaning the day after he’d most likely spend sightseeing.

He figured it would be smart to tell his family what he was planning, in case any of them needed to contact him while he was away. Getting a call from his mom in the middle of the night didn’t sound very appealing.

He dialed his mom’s number first, only just then realizing he had absolutely no idea how he’d explain the situation to her. He couldn’t exactly tell the truth, that he was flying to London for a game of laser tag.

Well, he’d already pressed the call button. He’d have to improvise.

“Hello?”

“Hey, mom.” maybe he was overthinking it, but the words sounded strange coming out of his mouth.

“Clay! It’s been a while since you called, how are you?”

“I’m doing alright. There’s not much going on, my job’s boring as usual. Been playing a lot of video games, though.”

“Have you been getting outside much? You know, I heard it’s supposed to be nice over there.”

“A bit. Um, anyway. So, the reason I called you was because I wanted you to know that I’m actually going to be taking a trip in a couple of weeks.”

“A trip? Where to?”

“London.”

There’s a beat of silence, and Clay can feel his heart speeding up. Dear God, this was a mistake.

“Wait, London? That’s pretty expensive. And have you got someone to feed Patches while you’re gone?”

Fuck. He’d forgotten about Patches. Some pet owner he was.

“I’m sure I’ll find a neighbor who’s willing.”

“Hmm, alright. But what are you going to be doing in London all by yourself?”

“I’m, um. Visiting a friend of mine.” As if George was any friend of his. Yeah, they acted friendly towards each other on Twitter, but that was surely just him being polite.

“A friend? Is this one of those online friends of yours? You’d better be careful sweetie; I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, I promise. I just thought you should know, especially with the time difference in case you need to reach me.”

“Oh, alright. But you really need to stop making impulsive decisions like this. You said it’s in a couple of weeks?”

“December first.”

“I’d lecture you about this if I wasn’t jealous that you’re flying all the way to London. You know, I visited London a long time ago, back before you were born-”

“That’s great, mom, okay I gotta go now!”

He hung up quickly before his mother could launch into another one of her “you know when I was younger” stories that he’s sure he’d already heard a million times before.

He needed to find someone to feed Patches. Surely  _ one _ of his neighbors would agree, the young woman who lived across the hall from him loved Patches. Her name was Jessie, and sometimes she came over just to visit Patches (she had no interest in Clay himself, Patches was far more important. Clay really couldn’t blame her).

He had her number saved, mainly because of how often she asked to come and visit. They might occasionally share a simple conversation or two, though it was rare.

Clay

Hey, are you busy at all December 1-7?

I’m gonna be out of town and I was wondering if you could feed her?

I know how much you love her, I promise I’ll pay you.

Jessie

Clay. My guy. My man. You do not have to pay me so that I can visit my favorite cat in the whole world daily for an entire week.

Yes, I will be in town and I will absolutely look after and cherish her.

Clay grins. He knew she’d be open to the offer.

Clay

Thank you so much, dude! I promise I’ll stock up on cat food before then so there’s no chance of running out :)

Jessie

Of course! Anything for Patches :D

-

The three weeks before the flight felt rushed, yet simultaneously dragged on and on for what felt like forever. Before Clay knew it, it was the night before his flight and he wasn’t packed. He realized that if his flight was at three he’d have no time to sleep. The safest option would be to leave at eleven PM, as airport security was an actual nightmare to get through.

It was seven o’clock, and he’d only just started packing his bags. He’d stocked up on cat food a couple of days prior- both wet and dry food- and left a twenty-dollar bill on the table for Jessie despite her insisting that he don’t pay her.

He was practically shoving clothes into his suitcase, not caring if his nicely folded laundry got all crumpled in his bag. Toiletries, his laptop, and any other basic necessities were then packed. His phone, earbuds, and portable charger went into the pocket of his hoodie, knowing he’d use them while on the plane. He’d buy food at the airport (despite it being overpriced as hell). Plus, the airplane served food too, even if it wasn’t very good.

It was a little past nine o’clock when he finished cramming all his shit into his suitcase. He double-checked everything, making sure that nothing got left behind.

Despite not even being that late, he was tired. It was the beginning of a long night for him, the stress of worrying about his flight draining him of his energy quicker than normal.

He was so, so tempted to take a nap. And sure, he had an eight-hour flight that he could sleep through. But it was hours until then. He needed a distraction.

Patches was curled up on the couch, and Clay took a seat next to her. He stroked her behind the ears, earning him a content purr. And hey, he was already in front of the TV. Why not put on a show?

He set an alarm for quarter to eleven, which is when he decides it would be most reasonable to call an uber. He picks a random show from Netflix’s recommended- something about heaven and hell, and how nobody’s gotten into heaven in nearly half a century- he’s too tired to really remember. It’s humorous from time to time, however, and Clay is surprised when his phone’s alarm suddenly goes off.

And he’s calling an Uber. It should arrive in twenty minutes, just a bit past when he’d been expecting to leave.

Patches is semi-awake, having been disturbed by the noise from the TV. Clay turns to her, kissing her on the forehead, to which she unsuccessfully pulls away from.

“I’m gonna miss you, girl.” Patches chirped in response, looking at him thoughtfully as though she understood him.

“Yeah? Well, Jessie will be here every day to feed you- and I’m sure she’ll give you lots of attention.”

Another meow. Clay gives her a couple of pats on the head before picking up his bags and beginning to lug them down to the lobby. It would be best to not leave his driver waiting.

A month ago he never would have guessed he’d be flying to freaking London just to get a point across to his Minecraft rival. It was completely ridiculous-sounding when he said it like that. Probably because, well, it  _ was _ ridiculous.

And it felt weird. While he’d be wearing a mask and hood the whole time, George would still have seen partially what he looked like. 

And Clay wasn’t necessarily insecure, but he liked being anonymous. He liked being the mysterious guy that nobody knew the name or face of. Having that all ripped away from him made him feel vulnerable.

He knew what George looked like. He streamed with his face-cam on all the time. He had nothing to lose. Clay had everything.

And he supposed that being tired made him lose his sense of time because it felt like only a minute had passed when his ride pulled up in front of the apartment complex. The notification on his phone shortly followed.

His bags weighed a thousand pounds in his arms, and he was grateful when the driver offered to help put them in the back.

“Must be an early flight, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Clay laughed, climbing into the backseat of the car.

“Should only be a half an hour drive,” he informed Clay as he got behind the steering wheel.

“Mhmm.”

Three hours. Three hours until his flight, and he’d be able to sleep for as long as he wanted.

The uber ride went fine. He checked in his bags and went through airport security in a semi-conscious daze. He still had a little under an hour left once he made it to the terminal, and figured it might be a good idea to buy a coffee, just to keep him up until his flight.

There was a Starbucks just a little way down from his terminal. A hot cup of coffee and a scone sounded decent, his stomach rumbled at the thought. He hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday, he’d completely forgotten about dinner amidst the panic of packing his things later than anticipated.

There weren’t all that many people waiting on two AM flights, so the lines weren’t particularly long.

Clay wasn’t a huge coffee drinker, but he’d be lying if he said his coffee didn’t taste absolutely amazing. He wasn’t even all that big a fan of Starbucks coffee. Maybe it was just his exhaustion talking, but it was some of the best food he’d had in a while.

Time began to lose all meaning. One minute, he was slouched in a chair waiting for his section to be called. He didn’t remember anything from in between, but all of a sudden he was boarding the plane, collapsing into seat B26, right next to an elderly couple that wouldn’t stop chatting. How anyone could be so chatty at two in the morning remained a mystery to him. He plugged in his earbuds and promptly collapsed, his body relieved to finally be getting some rest.

-

Two days until he faced Dream in laser tag. George would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous, while he had no basis as to how good he was at legitimate one on one fights, the fact that he’d been beaten by this guy multiple times before in other areas put him on edge.

He already knew which arcade he wanted to go to, though he figured he might as well get Dream’s opinion on it.

georgenotfound

So I was thinking we could go to the big arcade in north London? The one in between Pizza Hut and Subway? You know the one :]

dream

yeah i got no fucking clue where that is lmfao

georgenotfound

What? How? That place is literally everyone’s childhood.

dream

i think i live farther away from you than you realize lmao.

georgenotfound

Okay okay, I’ll send you the info.

He attached a link to the location and website. There’s a solid minute or two before Dream responds

dream

it looks fun

honestly, i’m cool with whatever, as long as there’s laser tag i’ll go with whatever you suggest.

georgenotfound

Sounds good!

-

It was past four when Clay landed. It felt strange, his internal clock screamed at him that it was only ten in the morning. Maybe it was a good thing that he was still as tired as he was, it would make falling asleep that night a lot easier than it would have had he been fully rested.

He found his bags surprisingly easily, considering they were large, black, and looked like just about every other bag circulating the conveyor belt.

Thank god baggage claim was over with. Usually, he’d be stood there for at least twenty minutes in an attempt to find his stuff.

The last step was for him to call a taxi and settle into his hotel room.

Taxi number 3076 would be picking him up right outside of the airport’s third entrance. Clay checked the hotel’s address for about the millionth time that day, reassuring himself he didn’t have the wrong location.

The taxi pulls up, and once again he’s assisted in piling his bags into the trunk. The drive to the hotel is a blur, not to mention he can barely remember the process of checking in and carrying his bags up the elevator.

Room 409. He just needed to get to room 409.

It wasn’t even seven o’clock when he made it to his room, and he immediately passed out on top of the neatly made hotel bed. Hell, he didn’t even change into pajamas. That would require him to rummage through his bags, and he simply didn’t have the energy to go through it now.

He lied face down on the bed for a couple of minutes, relief washing over him as he was finally, finally given a break. All of the stress that came with traveling would be over for a solid week.

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep like this, he forced himself up and off of the bed and under the covers. The sheets were cold, but Clay was too tired to care. Not even a minute had passed before he drifted into sweet unconsciousness.

-

Clay woke up, expecting it to be early having fallen asleep early in the evening. When he looked over at the clock beside him, he was alarmed to see that he’d slept for almost a full fourteen hours.

Another surprise was the massive pile of unread messages he had, many of which were from his mom.

Shit. He’d been so exhausted and focused on getting to the hotel he hadn’t once checked his phone. He must have gotten her pretty worried because he had a grand total of thirteen texts and two missed calls from her.

He dialed her number in almost panic, realizing the amount of anxiety he’d accidentally put her under.

“Mom? Shit, I’m so sorry I didn’t call back last night, I barely got any sleep the night before-”

“Clay?” she sounded groggy, almost as if she’d been-

Oh.

Right.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to wake you, I-”

“No, no, don’t apologize. We both forgot about the whole time thing, and I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Clay could feel his face turning red from embarrassment. “Right. Well, just call me once you’re up? I don’t wanna keep you up longer than necessary.”

“Mhmm. Goodnight, sweetie.”

She sounded half asleep already.

“Night, mom.”

He hung up, looking around the room wondering what he should do next.

With a sigh of annoyance, he realized that the first step he’d need to take would be unpacking everything.

-

After a long, bothersome twenty minutes that felt way more like at least a couple of hours, he was unpacked and make his way downstairs to the lobby (still in his pajamas, the cafeteria was almost closed and he had to time to change), which offered a complimentary breakfast to all guests who wanted it.

At first, he didn’t feel hungry enough for breakfast, figuring he’d take a coffee and go. He never had that big of an appetite when he first woke up. That was only until Clay peeped a waffle maker on one of the breakfast counters, to which he made a dash for.

And sure, waffles weren’t his  _ favorite _ breakfast food in the world. But he rarely got to eat fresh hot waffles straight off the iron. It was a special occasion.

Hotel waffles were both absolutely incredible as well as a fucking nightmare. The syrup stuck to your fingers, no matter how careful you were. You couldn’t lick it off either, since your tongue was literally covered in the same sticky syrup.

However, they tasted incredible. Deep down he knew that by the end of this week he’d be so sick of waffles he’d most likely never eat one again.

He’d almost finished eating when he received a Twitter notification. He couldn’t check immediately due to the state his hands were in, however, he quickly rushed to the sink in order to rinse them off.

georgenotfound

So you mentioned you live kinda far from London?

I was wondering if you actually wanted to meet up sometime today and we could just hang out around the city? I could show you some cool places and stuff :]

dream

what’s this? my rival being kind to me, and offering me his friendship? i’m touched

georgenotfound

Is that a yes or a no?

dream

oh wait ur serious

i lowkey thought u hated me ngl

georgenotfound

Just because we’re competitive in-game doesn’t mean we can’t be friends in real life?

dream

okay because i literally cannot read social cues so i’m sorry if i take stuff too literally LMAO

georgenotfound

Oh no, you’re fine!

I could maybe pick you up around noon? We could go out to lunch or something if you’re up for it :]

dream

ngl george, it sounds like you’re asking me out on a date

georgenotfound

You know what? Maybe I am.

Oh.

_ Ohhh. _

Clay had been expecting a lot of things to come out of this trip. His literal rival asking him out on a  _ literal date _ was not one of them.

georgenotfound

What do you say?

It’s alright if you’re not comfortable with it

Shit, I don’t even know if you’re into guys

dream

no no, i’m very much bisexual

you just caught me off-guard, i wasn’t expecting anything like this

i’d actually really like to get to know you better, i’ll accept :)

What was he getting himself into? Sure, he was curious about meeting George, but a date? Also, he’d just revealed the fact that he’s bisexual. He hadn’t even come out to his parents- let alone a stranger- yet!

And okay,  _ maybe _ George was cute. And maybe that played a  _ slight _ factor in him accepting his offer.

georgenotfound

Okay cool, cool. Do you mind sending me the location I should pick you up from?

Or we could meet up at a nearby restaurant in case you don’t want me to know your address?

dream

lol don’t worry i’m at a hotel

don’t think you’d be able to reach my house from here anyways

georgenotfound

Wait, a hotel?

How far did you even come for this?

dream

wouldn’t you like to know

He smiled to himself. George thought he was British. Or European, or something like that. He’d be in for a fun surprise when he heard Clay’s voice for the first time. Or would it be funnier to fake a British accent? How long would it take for him to catch on?

He desperately needed a shower. Heading back up into his room, he grabbed his nicest looking clothes from his dresser (he hadn’t been expecting a date, most of the clothing he’d brought were sweaters and hoodies) and locked the bathroom behind him, even though he knew there was nobody in his suite who could possibly interrupt him.

He hated the hotel showers, they were always either way too cold or boiling hot. He wasn’t sure which one was worse, they were both equally awful in his opinion. Either way, it had been over 24 hours since he last bathed, and he was starting to feel gross with himself. Forcing himself through the shower, he got himself all cleaned up and ready to go. He tucked a warm red turtleneck into a pair of baggy black jeans before layering a black jean jacket over it. It was casual, but it looked nice, he thought.

georgenotfound

You still haven’t told me where you wanna meet lol

dream

OH yeah my bad i’ve got like zero attention span

i’ll meet u somewhere, it’ll probably be quicker for both of us

georgenotfound

omg wait am I gonna be the first person in our group to see your face

dream

i guess you are lol

i’m still gonna wear the mask and all that for laser tag though

georgenotfound

Oh, of course, I wasn’t thinking you weren’t

dream

just making sure :)

i don’t know the area well so you can pick where we eat

georgenotfound

Okay, so there’s this one coffee shop that I go to regularly (I know what you’re thinking but trust me on this) and it’s the coziest place i think I’ve ever been in my life.

dream

wdym?

georgenotfound

They’ve got these porch swings covered in pillows by all the windows, it’s got this nice kinda rustic vibe to it and even the non-window seats are super comfy

The music is always nice, and their hot chocolate is a literal miracle

Their coffee is good too if you’re not into sweet drinks but it’s my personal fav :]

dream

okay yeah that’s really fucking cliche but that does sound very nice

can you send me the directions? also what time are we meeting up

georgenotfound

Here’s the address (Attachment: Open in Maps)

Whenever you’re ready, I’m not really doing much rn.

I have a stream at 7 PM but I’m sure we’ll be done by then

dream

how about noon? i might be a little bit late because i don’t have a car and will most likely get lost on the way there

georgenotfound

Yeah, that’s cool w me!

Also why tf don’t you have a car

Did you come all the way here… without a car? What the hell? Did you take the train???

dream

something like that

georgenotfound

Why do you always act all mysterious for no reason?

dream

you just said it yourself

for no reason at all :)

Clay didn’t feel so much nervous as he was conflicted. Everything seemed to be going so fast, in only two days he’d flown to London, officially made plans to challenge his rival to a game of laser tag, and now he was going on a date with said rival. Surely things couldn’t get any weirder?

-

It was a forty-five-minute walk to Halo’s Coffee Lab, Clay figured it would be safest to leave a good fifteen minutes early in case he lost his way.

It felt good to step outside of the hotel. It was cold and cloudy, nothing out of the ordinary. A fairly average late day in autumn.

He followed his maps app precisely, looking up every three seconds making sure that he was crossing the right street. Navigating a foreign city with unfamiliar street names was a little daunting, to say the least. He narrowly avoided getting hit by a car at one point, thinking that nobody was coming and that he could run a red light. He learned very quickly that that was a bad idea.

He learned halfway through his trek that there were actually two directions he could take to the coffee shop, and he’d accidentally chosen the longer of the two.

Yeah, things weren’t exactly going his way.

dream

yeah i’m definitely gonna be late

i’m dumb and accidentally walked the long way

georgenotfound

OH NOOO RIP

In all seriousness, it’s alright. I don’t mind waiting a little while longer. The owner of the shop is a friend of mine :D

dream

oh fr? that’s cool

does he give his friends discounts?

georgenotfound

Man I wish

Though I’m not really complaining, the prices are honestly a lot more affordable here than most shops I know

dream

oh well that’s nice

tbh i was expecting it to be pricey after the incredible description you gave me

georgenotfound

Yeah, ever since it opened I’ve spent almost every day hanging out there, whether I’m editing videos on my laptop or just chilling. It’s got a nice vibe.

dream

can’t wait to see it myself :)

georgenotfound

Can’t wait to see you :]

And Clay was certain that he was just being friendly, but he could certainly feel his face heating up from the comment. And it certainly wasn’t from the cold.

_ Focus _ ,  _ Clay _ . He only had a couple more blocks to walk, a couple more blocks until he met George. This whole experience- he knew that no matter what came out of it, things would inevitably be changed forever.

His dynamic with George- what the hell would that look like? They were now technically friends- not to mention going on a literal date.

After what felt like forever, he arrived at the Halo Coffee Lab. A pit formed in his stomach as he approached the building. He hadn’t been on a date in forever, and this- this somehow felt a lot scarier than any date he’d previously been on.

However, opening the door to the shop, an immediate sense of calm washed over him. Soft jazz played in the background- hell, he didn’t even like jazz, yet it somehow felt fitting.

He looked around the room for George’s familiar face. It didn’t take long, he was wearing freaking clout goggles, not to mention his own merch. He stared at the ceiling absentmindedly, swaying slowly back and forth on one of the porch swings. George wasn’t lying when he said this place had a vibe you couldn’t feel any sort of negativity in.

He approached the other man hesitantly.

“George.”

George looked up suddenly, staring at the tall figure before him.

“That’s my name.”

“My name’s Clay. Though you most likely know me as Dream.”

George sat there awestruck. Then, he blurted,

“Oh my god. You’re American.”

And Clay couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“That’s the first thing you say to me? Are you kidding me?”

“No, no, I’m- I’m just-”

George sat up off the swing, making room for Clay to sit down.

“You’re  _ American _ . Did you fly all the way here?”

Clay couldn’t contain his laughter. “Maybe I did.”

“Oh my god. I invite you to a game of laser tag assuming you live on the same continent as me. And you decide to take a transatlantic flight just to visit me?”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself. I’ve been meaning to do some traveling anyways, this was just a good excuse for me to leave my apartment.”

“You’re still insane. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I mean, what the hell, Dream?”

“You can call me Clay when we’re in person,” Clay butted in.

“Sorry. Let me try this again. What the hell, Clay?”

“I’ve got nothing better to do! Besides, I could never pass up an opportunity to beat your ass in laser tag.”

“Is that so? I’ll have you know that I’m a pro and that my friends and I hosted almost all of our birthday parties growing up in that arcade. I know the area like the back of my hand. You don’t stand a chance.”

“Only time will tell.”

They both shared a menacing grin at one another.

“So I heard a certain someone mentioned the hot chocolate here being really good,” Clay remarked, completely shifting the conversation.

“Should we order now?”

“If you’re ready, I don’t want to rush you.”

George nodded, before freezing abruptly. He grabbed Clay’s arm before he had the chance to walk to the front register.

“Ow, dude, what the hell?”

“Um, I feel like I should warn you of something before you order.”

“…okay?”

“You um. You know BadBoyHalo, right? He’s always on my server, we stream together frequently?”

“What does that have to do with-”

_ Oh _ .

_ Halo’s Coffee Lab. _

So that’s how George knew the owner of this place. They played Minecraft together regularly.

Clay swallowed. He knew that Bad certainly wouldn’t recognize him, he’d remained completely anonymous throughout his time on George’s server. However, it was still a little nerve-wracking.

“He won’t recognize me though, it’s fine, right?”

George nodded. “He won’t know a thing. I just thought I should warn you now, in case his voice… surprised you.”

Clay hesitated for a moment. From what he’d seen on George’s streams, Bad was a kind person. The kind of person Clay wouldn’t mind befriending. Sure, their only interactions had been Clay brutally murdering him on different people’s servers, which might not be the perfect first impression he was looking for, but for some reason, he wanted to reveal his identity to him.

“Tell him,” Clay answered

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. Tell Bad who I really am. It’d be funny, plus, I wanna get to know him better.”

“Oh so I ask you out on a date and now all of a sudden you ‘wanna get to know’ my best friend better?”

He went beet red. “Not like that! I just think he’s a nice person, and I wanna be his friend?”

“Relax, I’m only teasing.” he paused, momentarily gazing into Clay’s eyes. He shifted awkwardly from the eye contact. Then, George added, “you blush real easy, you know that?”

“Oh my god, stop.”

“I didn’t know that the scary, unbeatable  _ Dream _ was so  _ cute _ when he got flustered. Don’t cover your face, I like seeing you like this.”

Holy shit. This was not the quiet, awkward streamer he knew from their online interactions. George was actually pretty freaking confident, flirting so openly on a date when they didn’t even know each other that well.

“You are insufferable,” he mumbled from behind his hands.

“Move your hands and I’ll introduce you to Bad.”

Clay rolled his eyes and took down his hands. George shot him a teasing glance

“Come on, we can’t sit around waiting forever, now can we?”

Acting like nothing ever happened. This man was going to kill him.

“Bad! I have something I need to show you?”

Bad raised an eyebrow in question. “Is that so? From the looks of it, you’ve got some _ one _ , not some _ thing _ .”

George rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, this is my friend Clay! Though you might know him by a different name.”

Bad looked confused, Clay couldn’t really blame him. George was being a tad bit overdramatic, though, from Bad’s reactions, this seemed to be a normal occurrence.

“I don’t recall ever meeting you. Sorry, I’m not all that good with faces.”

“Don’t worry, I’m totally facial blind-”

“It’s Dream!”

Bad froze, his facial expressions reading a mixture of confusion and shock.

“Dream? As in, like, the hacker? What are you doing-”

“We’re on a date, I invited him to play laser tag with me without realizing he lived on the other side of the world, but he still ended up coming-”

“Oh my god. I’m begging you to shut up.”

Bad snorted. “Oh, you’ll get used to this. Whenever he’s not streaming, he’s the biggest blabbermouth you’ll ever meet.”

George giggled, not seeming to take any offense to either of their comments. “But you love me, Bad. Admit it.”

He only rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t say I love you, I’d say I… tolerate you.”

George gasped dramatically. “You take that back! I’ll have you know that I am a pleasure to be around. Clay, tell him how great I am!”

Bad snuck him a smug look, a silent signal to join in his slandering.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. You were oh so polite to me over Twitter, but now that I’ve actually met you…”

“You guys are the worst,” he pouts, but they’re all laughing. Clay realizes at that moment that he hasn’t had any legitimate human interaction in months. Sure, he called his mom and siblings every now and then, but this was different. He was with real people. Real, physical people.

“So, Dream-”

“Clay,” he corrected.

“Sorry. Clay, how the hell do you do what you do? The hacking and all that. Do you cheat PvP too, or are you just naturally good at all that?”

Clay grinned. “A hacker never shares his secrets. But as for the PvP, I can assure you it’s real. I’ve been playing Minecraft for nearly a decade, you pick up some decent strategies over such a large period of time.”

“Which is the reason I challenged him to laser tag,” George added. “He thinks he’s so good at Minecraft, but how good is he in a real fight?”

“Well. For my own sanity’s sake, I’m rooting for you, Clay.”

“Thank you, Bad. I pray that you stay sane, as you seem like a very kind person.”

George punched Clay lightly on the shoulder. Because while they only started legitimately talking a couple of days ago, yet it felt like they’d known each other for years.

And yeah, he knew quite a bit about George. He watched a decent number of his streams, and watching someone stream for hours on end can make it feel like you really know a person. And in a sense, you kind of do.

But George- he didn’t really know all that much about Clay. which is probably the reason he asked him out on a date. The realization made him feel a bit guilty, he’d spent so long talking with Bad he’d sort of forgotten he was on a date.

“Do you want a hot chocolate?” he asked George.

“God, you don’t even have to ask.”

“We’ll take two hot chocolates, please,” Clay chuckled.

Bad nodded, ringing up their total on the cash register. Clay insisted he pays for both of them, much to George’s cries of protest.

“I’m the one who asked you out! I’m the one who should pay.”

“Too late now.”

Once they received their drinks, they went back to their seat on the swing. George hadn’t been kidding when he said the hot chocolate was amazing, it really was.

It felt too quiet. Clay was trying to think of something, anything to talk about.

“Did I mention I have a cat?”

_ Wow, Clay. Great conversation starter. _

Apparently, George thought so, because his eyes lit up at the mention of a cat.

“Oh my god. Tell me everything? What’s their name? Do you have any pictures?”

Clay was surprised that worked so well. “Her name is Patches, she’s a tabby, and I’ve got a whole album full of pictures saved on my phone.”

“Patches? Okay, that’s actually adorable.”

“We gave her a pumpkin costume last year for Halloween, we called her ‘Pumpkin Patches’.”

George’s smile was contagious. George giggled at the nickname, and Clay found himself smiling as well.

He showed pictures of Patches sleeping, cuddled up on people’s laps. Pictures of her stretched out in the summer sun, videos of her playing with a feathery cat toy.

“Please let me visit her someday. I will literally fly over to whatever godforsaken state you live in just to give her some pets.”

“Oh, so you can judge me for flying over for a game of laser tag but you’re willing to fly all the way to Florida just to visit my cat?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re crazy, you know that?”

“Yeah. but i don’t really think of that as a bad thing. I like to think of myself as chaotic, but in the best way possible.”

He knew exactly what he meant by that. From what he’d seen on stream, he got excited anytime his friends were around him and excited as well. But sometimes, he turned it off. Sometimes he was shy and reclusive and valued his time alone. An ambivert, if you will.

“I know you recently got a kitten. Do you have any pictures the internet hasn’t been exposed to?”

George nodded. “They seem to really like Luca’s old toys, I’ve got a couple of videos of them spinning around trying to catch them until they’re dizzy.”

“Please show me, they sound hilarious.”

“They are.” he pulled up a collection of photos and videos featuring a tiny gray tabby and showed him a couple of videos featuring the kitten.

“They’re so tiny,” Clay cooed.

“Right? They’re still just a baby, so they’ve got some growing to do.”

“Yeah. I never had pets as a kid, me and my siblings used to beg my parents for a pet- we didn’t care if it was a cat or a dog- but she never agreed. Patches is all mine, my mom refuses to acknowledge her existence anytime she comes and visits.”

“How can she not love Patches?”

“Easy. She pissed on my mom’s shoes the first time she came over after I brought her home.”

“Okay, I can understand the resentment.”

Clay laughed. “Yeah. Though she was still a kitten when it happened, she’s been properly trained to use the little box since then.”

And after that, all of Clay’s anxiety began to ebb away. His shoulders loosened, his leg stopped shaking. And he didn’t have that awful urge to pick at his skin. His and George’s conversation began to flow smoothly, it felt natural and no longer forced. They shared stupid childhood memories, embarrassing stories about their siblings. Clay hadn’t felt this comfortable in a long time.

Hours passed, and neither of them realized it until an alarm on George’s phone went off, a notification displaying the words “Stream begins in one hour!”

“Oh, shit.”

“It’s okay, we both lost track of time. Are you okay?”

George nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cut this short. I-”

“It’s okay, I promise. We’ve been here for what, almost six hours? I promise it’s not a big deal.”

“Okay.”

“Go do your stream. I’ll see you at the arcade tomorrow, yeah?”

“Thank you, Clay.”

And with that he left, leaving Clay feeling warm and content, slowly swaying back and forth on the swing. While he had no idea what his and George’s relationship dynamic was, something told him it was far from bad.

-

Coming back to the hotel room felt strange. Everything was moving so quickly, the laser tag fight would be held tomorrow. He’d gone on a freaking date with George, and his trip had still only just begun. Clay had technically known George for years, and while it made sense and he understood the feeling of knowing George, it was also strange to think that they hadn’t actually started having real conversations up until a couple of days ago. He felt a sort of closeness to George that he couldn’t describe.

Ignoring his feelings was probably the best course of action for the time being. What he needed was pizza and Netflix. That was guaranteed to take his mind off of things.

A call to Pizza Hut and thirty minutes later, his pizza arrived. Though he barely remembered what had happened the first time through, he decided to continue watching that heaven and hell show- The Good Place, apparently- and it felt good. Sitting in front of the TV eating trashy food. It was just the kind of break he needed.

-

The next morning felt like a repeat of the last. Breakfast was once again waffles. They still tasted pretty fucking good, he wasn’t quite sick of them just yet.

Once again, a notification from George. As if on schedule.

georgenotfound

Laser tag at 2!

I’ll pick you up this time since it’s a while away from here

dream

alright, sounds good :)

this hotel has some of the nastiest coffee i’ve ever drunk, can we pls stop somewhere for coffee on the way there?

georgenotfound

At 1 in the afternoon?

Why would you even want to drink coffee that late?

dream

i have a crippling caffeine addiction

i need it or else i get these shitty headaches and i just feel all sick in general

georgenotfound

Okay but theoretically if I denied you coffee, you’d be a lot easier to beat

dream

please i’m already dealing with jet lag n shit

georgenotfound

Okay, that’s fair

In all seriousness, I do hope you feel better

dream

thank u george :)

He was getting used to London time. He still felt groggy all throughout the day, which would probably affect his laser tag abilities to an extent. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as when he’d first arrived.

Clay would be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling nervous about the whole live-stream. The arena would be dark with neon lights, people would barely be able to see him anyway. There was no way he could be recognized, except maybe for his voice. And George lived in London, people might still assume he lived near George despite his American accent.

There were still a couple of hours left before George picked him up. The hotel had a pool, and he’d remembered to bring swim trunks in case he had time to give it a visit. He hadn’t changed or showered yet, and it might help wake him up as he hadn’t had any coffee yet.

He changed into his swimwear and grabbed a couple of towels for whenever he was finished. He admittedly didn’t know exactly where the pool was, it took getting lost on the completely wrong floor for him to realize that there were signs all over the hallways pointing out directions to different locations.

He was grateful the hotel had a pool. Even if it was relatively small, he felt pent up and needed to let out his extra energy. He’d definitely save some of it for laser tag, but right now it was unbearable.

The pool was empty this early in the morning, most people went down sometime in the late afternoon or evening.

The water was cold, a lot colder than he usually found pool water to be anyway. It might have been for the best because the frigid water only made him more motivated to finish his laps quicker.

Swimming gave him time to think. So far, he’d revealed his identity as Dream to two people. Bad seemed like a kind person and didn’t seem like the type of person to expose him like that. George didn’t either, though he did seem to overshare when he was enthusiastic or overexcited about something. Still, his identity seemed like something he wouldn’t let slip.

George. Clay had no idea what to think of him. He was undeniably cute. Not to mention he’d grown attached to him throughout their time battling over George’s SMP. Their “rivalry”. Had it ever really been a rivalry? Or had they both in a sense looked up to one another, hoping that maybe the other would reach out?

They knew each other, but they also didn’t. Yesterday was the most social interaction they’d ever had with one another, and just the thought of doing that again gave him butterflies. He wanted to know George, he wanted to be his friend. They’d known each other for years, yet simultaneously it could have been argued that they only truly met one another the day before. The whole situation was weird. Not necessarily bad, just weird.

And how many of George’s other online friends did he also happen to know in real life? Would he run into any of them? Would they react as lightly as Bad when they discovered he was responsible for the trolling on their servers?

George’s group seemed pretty laid back. He tried to focus more on swimming that the anxious thoughts racing through his head. It felt good, after having lazed around all evening the night before.

It was only when a family presumably on vacation came down to the pool that Clay realized how much time had passed. It had to be at least past eleven, right?

Shit. Wrapping his towels around him, he made a dash for the lobby, where he checked the clock.

Past twelve already? George would be there in less than an hour and he still needed to shower and get dressed.

Not caring for how hazardous running on the hardwood floor while still soaking wet was, he made a dash for his room.

How had he lost track of time so easily? His mind wandered so carelessly, what felt like five minutes to him was in reality much longer. He quickly jumped in the shower, washing away all the chlorine and whatever else he didn’t want to know was in the pool.

Pulling on a green hoodie (it fit his avatar, it was on-brand for him), blue jeans, and his mask, he was ready to go. He pulled the hood up and looked in the mirror. Barely any of his hair was showing, leaving his eyes to be the only identifiable feature on his face.

He bounced his leg in anticipation, waiting for George to text him that he was outside, ready to pick him up. He couldn’t be too far away, they’d scheduled to meet at one. It was twelve forty-five.

He collapsed onto the bed, feeling exhausted from all the swimming.

Dammit. He really should’ve saved more energy for laser tag. At least they’d be taking a break for coffee, but it still annoyed him nonetheless.

georgenotfound

Hey, just figured I should tell you I’m 5 minutes away!

dream

nice, i’m headed to the lobby rn

Throwing on a jacket and shoes, he made sure he had his phone, wallet, and keys before making his way to the elevator. A couple of people wandered around the lobby, mostly families or businessmen and women who looked annoyed or impatient.

Clay checked his phone’s notifications at least five times every thirty seconds.

georgenotfound

I’m right outside the main entrance, I’m in the silver car to your right

dream

oh yeah i see u

Locking his phone and tucking it into the pocket of his hoodie, he made his way over to where George was parked.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“So. Coffee then arcade?”

George nodded. “You know, you don’t have to wear the mask until we actually get there.”

“Sorry,” he pulled the mask down, still used to having to wear it everywhere he went. “Force of habit.”

“I think it’s taken all of us a while to adjust,” he chuckles.

They pull out of the parking lot and begin the drive.

“How long is the drive from here?”

“From here it should be anywhere between thirty and forty-five minutes, depending on traffic. Do you have any preference for where we stop along the way?”

Clay shook his head. “Coffee is coffee, and I desperately need it.”

George laughed. “You look pretty awake to me. Your hair’s wet, did you only just shower?”

“Yeah. The hotel had a pool and I figured I’d go for a swim earlier this morning.”

“A pool? And you didn’t invite me?”

“It’s tiny, and most of the time crowded with children.”

“Ew, nevermind.”

It was a while before they came across a Starbucks, to which George pulled into the drive-thru. The line wasn’t too long, however, it was long enough to earn a groan of annoyance from George.

“What’s your order?”

“Just a large black coffee.”

“Ew, you drink it black? No milk or anything?”

Clay shrugged. “It really doesn’t taste as bad as people make it out to be.”

“You’re disgusting. You’ve lost any respect I might have previously had for you.”   
“You’re so overdramatic. I’ll order it myself if you’re so disgusted by it-”

“No, no, I’m paying for it. You bought the drinks yesterday, I’m buying you this.”

“But-”

“No but’s. I’m paying for today’s outing, don’t even think about trying to stop me. Besides, you already bought a freaking ticket to London. I’m not letting you pay any more than you already need to.”

Clay couldn’t argue with his logic. “Fine.”

“Do you like it hot or iced?”

“Normally I’m good with either, but I’m not gonna lie. It’s fucking freezing out, I’d probably regret getting it iced.”

George nodded. “Wise choice.”

Once he got his drink, Clay wasted no time guzzling a solid half of the cup in one go before sighing in relief.

“You genuinely like that stuff. I’m deeply ashamed to be associated with you.”

“Nooo, you love me,” Clay teased.

“You’re an idiot,” he laughed.

“You didn’t deny it.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

For the most part, they drove in silence. Maybe silence wasn’t the right word to describe it, because George had begun softly playing Ricky Montgomery through the car’s Bluetooth speakers.

Clay recognized a couple of the songs, though most were foreign to him. He lost track of time and began to daydream while zoning out the car window. The bumpy movements of George’s car felt strangely calming, even if they made it slightly more difficult to drink his coffee.

His thoughts weren’t exactly coherent, snippets and pieces of scattered memories and concepts. He felt relaxed around George, which was strange because George was most definitely not a calm person. At least, he wasn’t always.

George was cute. Clay couldn’t deny that he was maybe, just maybe _ kind of _ attracted to him. Really, everything about him was cute. Clay got butterflies every time he heard his little giggles, he got invested in every story or interest he talked about, even if it wasn’t anything he’d normally find interesting. He liked the way he absentmindedly rested his hands on his cheeks when he got flustered. And he liked the way he was completely nonjudgemental whenever he showed signs of his ADHD.

He had a stupid crush on a guy he’d thought of as his rival up until a few weeks ago. And okay, technically they  _ were _ still rivals, but they were also friends. Who might have gone on a date together. But that was completely irrelevant. The point was, they hadn’t known each other for all that long, and Clay felt as though he were completely losing it.

It didn’t feel long before they arrived. George hadn’t been lying when he mentioned the arcade being huge. Stepping through the doors felt like stepping into a whole different world. It had that classic black with neon patterned carpet, and the only source of lighting came from neon wall lights. It was overwhelming, but Clay was too hyped up to really care.

The arcade machines were sorted into categories. Sports games, shooting games, strategy games. They really had everything. He could barely hear George over the noise, telling him to come with as he purchased them a handful of tokens each.

Each got 25 tokens, laser tag cost 10 each. They figured they’d play some arcade games afterward, as a singular game of laser tag sounded a bit underwhelming after driving all this way.

“Do you think they’ll let you stream it?”

“Probably not. But they don’t need to know, do they?”

It sounded a little risky, Clay didn’t want to risk getting kicked out. But George sounded confident, so he didn’t try and argue.

The laser tag arena was on the second floor along with the food court, a skating rink, and a bowling alley. There wasn’t too much of a line, it being a work and school day for most people.

George began setting up the stream details. “BATTLING DREAM IRL - LASER TAG!” Clay read from beside him.

“It’ll be a short stream, you know.”

“Yeah, but it’ll get all the hype, even after it’s finished.”

“We’ll be trending on Twitter,” Clay laughed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. People seem to hype up most of our battles online, this is completely new.”

The group of teens in front of them moved into the arena, leaving them at the front of the line.

“You know, I can start streaming now. It’ll be dark in the arena, they might wanna see us together before we go in.”

“Will they even hear you behind all this noise?”

“I’m sure I can make it work.”

“Alright. But if you get caught, I have nothing to do with this.”

“Fair enough.”

George started the stream.

“Alright, it might take a minute for people to receive notifications. There are a couple of people in chat- hi guys!”

The chat was going insane. People spamming “WHERE’S DREAM” or “DREAM FACE REVEAL?”

“Okay, so we’re in line for laser tag. It should be a while until we get in- I hope you all can hear me okay over the noise, but I’m with Dream!”

Feeling slightly nervous with the camera on him, Dream gave the stream a wave, too shy to speak. He reminded himself that he had his hood and mask on, he wasn’t identifiable.

“I thought that since he’s  _ sooo _ good at Minecraft PvP, why not challenge him to a real fight?”

A couple of people in chat were asking Clay to fully reveal his face. Or speak. Or tell them his real name.

George ignored those messages, even the ones that came as donations. “After this, we’re just going to play some of the arcade games they have here, it’s gonna be a fun night.”

Clay realized the camera was once again on him. He nodded, holding up an awkward peace sign. What was he supposed to do? He was too nervous to speak, even though he knew he’d probably have to at some point in order to communicate with George.

“Dreeeam, don’t be shy.” he put himself on mute momentarily. “You know they won’t recognize you, right?”

“I know, I’m just- it’s weird, being on camera.”

George nodded in understanding. “You get used to it, I promise.”

He unmuted. “Sorry about that. It shouldn’t be too much longer until we go inside.”

Clay fiddled with his hands in anticipation. He was going to speak. He had to speak. His anxiety was taking over, he couldn’t let that happen. He needed his head clear if he wanted to win this game.

“I can answer some questions if that’s what your chat wants.”

George looked up at him, his eyes wide and an eyebrow raised in question. “I mean if you’re comfortable with it. I’m sure chat would be excited to-”

The chat went absolutely wild.

“Yeah, okay. There they go.”

George turned it so that both he and Clay were in the camera’s view.

_ “What’s your real name?” _ read the first donation.

“I’m not comfortable revealing my name- or my face- at the moment. Sorry to disappoint.”

_ “Are you and George friends? I thought you guys were enemies?” _

“Yeah, we’re friends I’d say. We’re rivals when it comes to gaming, but in real life, we’re pretty chill.”

“Does Dream have any pets?”

Clay beamed, though nobody could see it. Clay loved talking about Patches, he considered her practically his best friend.

“Yes! I’ve got a cat named Patches, I’ll post some pictures of her on Twitter later on if you’re all interested.” He knew that they would.

The Q&A was interrupted when they were informed that it was their turn to go in.

“Looks like we’ll have to put this on pause, it’s our turn next!”

George pointed his phone towards the ground as one of the employees began explaining the rules and motives of the game. They each had to pick a color to associate their team with. George picked blue, Clay chose green. What could they say, it was on-brand for them.

They had ten minutes to try and score the most points by shooting at opposing teammates. This was going to be an interesting game

“Ready to get your ass beat?” George taunted.

“Oh, in your dreams.”

George strapped his phone to his belt, it was the most convenient way for him to stream and play at the same time. It was just bright enough that his camera could pick up what was going on, but not bright enough for the video to remain without the ugly, low-quality grain that appeared when it was dark.

“My bad if the quality’s low, you’re just gonna have to sit with it for a while,” he told the audience as they got into position.

And okay, putting his phone in his belt maybe wasn’t the smartest idea. He had to readjust his phone or tighten the waistband every now and then.

There was a countdown from ten. They both dashed into position on their respected sides of the arena.

Three,

Two,

One,

Go!

They both made a dash for the center of the arena. George had an advantage in the fact that he knew the layout of the arena by heart. Clay was a little lost, though he’d never admit that to George.

He immediately got shot. His gun was deactivated for a good ten seconds.

“Shot him once!” George cheered for the chat to hear.

So maybe running headfirst into battle with no idea where you’re going wasn’t Clay’s brightest idea. He ran back to base, figuring that climbing to the top and aiming from a distance was a much better strategy.

George seemed to have figured out his strategy immediately. He ducked under Clay’s base, waiting a couple of seconds before following him up.

Clay squinted, looking around the arena for any sign of George and his brightly lit blue laser gun.

His gun went off again.

_ Wait, what? _

“You know, you’re really not as good at this as you said you were.”

“You motherfucker!”

Realizing what was about to ensue, he made a dash for the stairs down. Clay chased him, not far behind at all.  _ “Come here, George!” _

George was laughing, but he was also mildly terrified. He had to hold his phone in place so that it didn’t fall. The chat was now spamming “MANHUNT IRL”.

And George knew it was coming. The buzz from his gun signaled that he had been shot. Clay cheered in satisfaction, shouting “Eat that, bitch!”

The battle went on. Clay was ashamed to admit that he was losing, but only by a couple of points. The timer warned them that only a minute remained.

He needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast.

He had recently been shot. He was hiding, waiting for his gun to recharge. He could see George around for any sign of him, however, he couldn’t find any sort of clue.

Until he saw a shadowy figure running up the stairs of his own base, glowing green gun in hand.

He made his way in the same general direction. A sneak attack on George’s base would be the perfect method to gain his points back.

George was oblivious to Clay slowly sneaking up behind him.  _ A taste of his own medicine, _ he thought, before firing a shot at George’s sensor.

He shrieked. “What the-”

“Behind you.”

George instinctively pointed his gun to Clay, only to remember it needed recharging.

He cowered, realizing that now they were tied. Whoever shot this final round would be crowned the victor.

“George. Drop the gun, and this can all end nicely.”

“Yeah, right. I actually want a shot at winning this.”

Clay wasn’t listening. He was advancing towards George, backing him up against a wall, his grip weakening and he ultimately dropped his gun in shock.

Clay grabbed his wrist, pinning it to the wall before George could pick it back up. Clay smirked as George came to the realization that defeat was inevitable. And George knew he should be focused on getting back on his feet, finding some way to take the fight back into his own hands. But fuck, Clay’s hands on his wrists. It was all his brain could focus on. Not to mention that their bodies were close, a little  _ too _ close, and the warmth from Clay’s made him feel as though he would melt. 

Clay pulled his face mask down. And for a moment, George panicked.

_ What the hell is he doing? _ The stream was still going- not like anyone could see anything at the angle they were at- but still.

“Tell me if I’m overstepping anything, okay?”

George nodded, not entirely sure if any of this was actually happening.

Clay placed his hands on George’s hips and pulled him closer before leaning in to kiss him.

And George melted at the touch. Clay’s lips were soft and warm, just like he’d imagined them to be (not that he’d ever admit to thinking about kissing Clay).

And whatever George had been expecting to come of this challenge, it hadn’t been this.

When he pulled away, he asked, “Are we moving too fast?”

“Probably,” George replied. “Though if I’m being honest, I don’t really care.”

Clay smiled. “Me neither.”

He gave him another quick peck on the lips before reaching for his gun and shooting George’s censor.

“I win.”

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas y'all :) Sorry if this felt rushed or dragged on at certain points, sometimes I come up with an idea, and halfway through I just feel like I gotta speedrun through it lmao. But yeah I wrote this in 3 days I think? So I hope that y'all like it despite the rush, and have a happy holiday no matter what you celebrate :)  
> -Samuel


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